Pressure bailer



May 23, l933 R. A. LEAHY 1,910,616

PRESSURE BAILER Filed Nv. '7, 1932 Patented May 23, 1933 UNITEDI STATES PATENT oFFlcE RICHARD A. LEAHY, 0F LONG'IBEACH, O'ALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO LEAHY-MCNEELY I CO., LTD., 0F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATIQN OF CALIFORNIA PRESSURE BAILER Application led November 7\,`1932. Serial No. 641,597.

This invention relates to pressure bailers. Bailers of this type utilize the pressure in a well to charge the bailer. They are usually constructed with a chamber within the bailer which is at a pressure below the well pressure. The pressure in the chamber is usually atmospheric pressure and is maintained by employing a valve between the sand chamber of the bailer and the air chamber. When the bailer is at the bottom of the well, this valve is suddenly opened and the well pressure causes an in-rush of the material whic is to be bailed.

The general object of this invention is to simplify the construction of bailers of this type and to provide a construction which will avoid the necessity for employing a valve for sealing the air chamber; and also utilizing substantially the entire volume of the chamber for carrying effective load.

In the present bailer, the air chamber is sealed by means of a frangible disc below which a dart is provided 4mounted in the lower end of the bailer and when the bailer strikes the bottom of the well, the dart moves relatively upwardly so as to smash the disc, and when this occurs there is an in-rush of sand through the lower end of the bailer due to the high pressure exerted at the bottom of the Well. In this way the bailer charges itself by reason of the well pressure.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide improved means for retaining the sealing disc, and for effecting its replacement, and also an improved construction for the dart which enables it to ope-rate as an effective valve to retain the charge in the bailer under pressure'until it is taken from the mouth of the well to be discharged.

The discharging of the bailer is effected by the pressure within it by opening a port in the side of the bailer, or through the bottom opening of the shoe when the dart valve is raised off its seat. In bailers of this type,

y if the pressure at the bottom of the well is very great, there is danger that the pressure in the bailer load chamber may be so much above atmospheric pressure that the bailer will explode when it reaches the mouth of the Well. For this reason, in bailers of this type,: it has been the practice to provide a relief valve which will relieve the internal pressure of the bailer as it approaches the surface. One of the objects of this invention is to. provide a simple means for regulating this relief valve so that it can be readily set to enable it to retain greater or lower pressures as may be desired. In this wa'y the rapidity of discharge of the load at the derrick iioor can be regulated.

A further object is to provide a mounting for the relief valve which will enable it to be readily cleaned Without unscrewing any joints of the bailer.

A further object of the invention is to provide means at the lower end of the bailer, tending to prevent it from becoming frozen in tightly packed sand at the well bottom.

One of the diiiiculties experienced in the operation of a dart or breaking device by impact upon the sand at the bottom of the well, is that unless the lower end of the dart has considerable area, it naturally tends to bury itself in the sand instead of being arrested in its downward movement by the sand. One of the objects of this invention is to construct the lower end of the dart so that while it presents a considerable area sufiicient to prevent its burying itself in the sand, this will not obstruct the lower end of the bailer in such a way as to interfere with the effective charging of the same.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists ofthe novel parts and combination of partsto be described hereinafter, all lof which contribute to produce an eflicient pressure bailer.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation in partial section of a bailer embodying my invention, certain parts being broken away and shown in section; this View indicates the outline of the well hole;

Figure 2 is a vertical section upon an enlarged scale, taken through the lower end of v the bailer about on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and showing the parts in the relation which they have when the bailer is descending in the well;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section upon an enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and passing through the relief valve; i Figure'4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, but showing the bailer with the discharge port open at its side;

Figure-5 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 5--5 of Figure 2, and upon an enlarged scale;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view and is a section upon an enlarged scale through the edge of a frangible disc and illustrating another embodiment of the means which may be employed for insuring a tight seal of the disc on its seat;

Figure 7 is a plan of the resilient means which I prefer to employ for holding the frangible disc on its seat.

Referring more particularly to the parts, the bailer comprises a casing 1, the upper portion of which is formed into connected sections 2 in which an air chamber 3 is formed, the upper end of the casing being provided with a sub 4 having means for attaching the same to a string of tubing, or if desired,l to a bailer head for enabling the bailer to be attached to a sand line.

The lower end of the casing is in the form of a shoe 5 (see Fig. 2) which may be threaded on to the lower end of the bailer body.

The lower portion of the bailer casing below the air chamber 3, is provided with an annular seat or shoulder 6 upon which is received a frangible disc 7. This disc may be made of hard and relatively brittle cast iron, or may be formed of any other material which can be readily broken up by impact from below. 0n the upper face of this frangible disc ll provide a gasket 8, which gasket'may be a thin disc of cork or similar material cemented to the upper side of the disc. The disc may be held in place in any suitable way; for eXample, it may be used as a tight plug in the bore. Or any suitable means, preferably resilient means, formed of thin metal, may be employed. This means, in the present instance, is in the form of a thin fiat bar 10 which is of slightly larger diameter than the bore 11 of the casing at this point. This enables the bar to be shoved up against the lower face of the disc with its rounded ends engaging against the face of the wall. The disc is preferably slightly tapered toward its edges. If desired, the bar 10 may also be fastened at its center to the center of the disc, in which case it could be employed above the disc.

Access may be had to the interior ofthe bailer to put the disc and the keeper 10 in position, through a discharge gate or port 12. When the bailer is passed down the well, this discharge opening 12 is held closed by a rotat- 20. Below these two guides the dart has a flat circular head 21 presenting considerable area on its under side. The upper ends of the wings 20 terminatein shoulders 22 for engaging the lower end of the bushing 15 when the dart is driven relatively upwardly by impact with sand at the bottom of the well. The movement however, is suflicient to enable a tapered point 23 on the upper end of the dart to strike the disc 7 and break it. The sudden opening of the air chamber 3 -by smashing the disc, causes an in-rush of sand, water and other material at the bottom of the well to the lower end of the shoe. The opening at this point is not restricted in any way by the head 21 by reason of the fact that the lower end ofthe bushing 15 will hold the head 21 low enough to provide effective flow area for the incoming charge. The valve 17 is carried below a shoulder 19a on the stem 19.

The bushing 15 is preferably held in place removably by providing its lower end with a collar 24 held between the lowerend of the bailer body and an annular shoulder 25 on the interior of the shoe.

The wall ofl the bailer casing is preferably provided with a relief valve 26 (see Figs. 1 and 3). This relief valve is in the form of a ball or button with a conical or spherical face coming upon a corresponding seat 27 so thatl the relief valve can open outwardly.

This relief valve is held on its seat by an annular spring 28 that is received in an annular groove 29 formed on the exterior of the casing at this point. The tip 30 of this spring engages a transverse groove 3l on the outer face of this valve. The seat 27 for the v'alve is preferably formed in a bushing 32 (see Fig. 3) which is screwed into a threaded opening in the casing.

The spring 28 is preferably tapered toward its split point from its butt end 33. If it is desired to provide for adjustment of the force exerted by this spring in holding the valve on its seat, I provide an adjusting stud 34 that may be mounted in any one of a plu-A hold the spring in position and prevent its working away from the valve.

In using bailers of this type, there Vis a. tendency for them to bury their lower ends in the sand so as to become frozen which interferes with their being pulled up. In order to provide against this, I provide the lower end of the shoe 5 of the bailer, with a plurality of threaded ports 36 which arev normally closed by threaded plugs 37. In using the bailer, any opposite pair, or if desired, all four of these plugs can be removed. v

By turning the spring clear of the valve, the valve mav be readily removed for cleanlng.

In Figure 6 I illustrate a modifica-tion of the sealing means for the disc. In this view, 7a indicates the disc. The sealing means consists of a band 8a of rubber that is applied tight over the edge of the disc. This forms an effective gasket, and a gasket of this form can readily be made from a shor-t section of inner tubing of a tire or a broad rubber band of suitable diameter. The valve 17 is loose on the stem 19. Inthe operation of the bailer when it is taking a load the valve 17 will be carried up ofi' its seat by the inflow of material through the bottom of the bailer. If the valve 17 were rigidly attached to the stem, considerable time would elapse before it would fall back and be receded. This would entail the loss of considerable material from the bailer. But, as the valve 17 is loose it does not rise a great distance from its seat and, therefore, it seats promptly at the end of the charging movement of material. This increases the efficiency of the bailer in charging itself.

The relief valve 26 is preferably located near the upper end of the bailer and is preferably mounted in a sub 26a, which affords a thickened wall to receive lthe valve. The height of this valve should be such that it will always be below the water level in the upper part of the bailer. In this connection, it should be understood that when lthe load comes into the bailer air is trapped in the upper part of the air chamber and as the relief valve lets down the pressure this trapped air expands and lowers the liquid level in the bailer.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth. i

What I claim is:

l. In a bailerfor bailing deep Wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a f tangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means set in the casing below the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart upwardly 4and break the disc thereby effecting the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure.

2. In a bailer for bailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a frangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means set in the casing below the disc for holding the same upon its seat, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, a dart passing through the bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart upwardly and break the disc thereby effecting the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure, said casing having a discharge port at the side thereof, above the valve and below the frangible'disc, a movable closure for the discharge port mounted on the casing, said discharge port enabling the frangible disc to be passed into the casing to place the same on said annular shoulder.

3. In a bailer for bailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an .annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a frangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means held in the casing below the disc for holding the same upon its seat, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, a dart passing through the bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart relatively upwardly and break the disc, thereby effecting the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure, said dart having a` head at its lower end having considerable area, and having a stem with laterally projecting means for engaging a part of the bailer when the dart moves relatively upwardly, to hold the said lower head of the dart at considerable distance below the lower end of the casing, thereby providing an Lamers elective charging arca at the lower end of the bailer. y

4. In a bailer for hailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder 'formed therein below the chamber, a frangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means set in the casing below the disc for holding the same upon its seat, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, la dart passing through the bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart upwardly and break the disc thereby effecting the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure, said dart having a stem extending downwardly from said head and having substantially radial guide means at the lower end thereof for engaging the lower end of the bushing when the dart is driven relatively upwardly, said dart having a lower head of considerable area for engaging the sand at the bottom of the well, said guide means operating to stop the relative upward movement of the dart with said low- .er head disposed at a considerable distance below the lower end of the bailer casing to insure an effective charging area for passing the sand upwardly.

5. In a bailer for hailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a frangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means set in the casing below the disc for holding the same upon its seat, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, a dart passing through the bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart upwardly and break the disc thereby electing the charging of the bailer through the action ot' the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure, a relief valve mounted in the casing above the frangible disc, and an annular spring mounted on the exterior of the casing at the relief valve for holding the same closed.

6. In a bailer for hailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a rangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, means set in the casing below the disc for holding the same upon its seat, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, a dart passing through the-bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart upwardly and break the disc thereby eecting the char 'ng of the bailer throu h the action of the we l pressure at the well ottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure, a relief valve mounted in the casing to o en outwardly above the frangible disc, sai casing having an annular groove in the outer side thereof adjacent the relief valve and a tapered annular spring mounted in said roove and engaging the outer side of the re ief valve.

7. In a bailer for hailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber and having an annular shoulder formed therein below the chamber, a frangible disc seating on said shoulder from the lower side, a valve seat in the casing below the frangible disc, a spring extending transversely across the casing below the rangible disc and engaging the wall of the casin for retaining the disc on said annular shou der, a valve seat in the form of a bushing, a dart passing through the bushing, a valve on the dart to come upon the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well, to force the dart relatively upwardly and break the disc, thereby effecting the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure at the well bottom, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure. a

8. In a bailer for bailing deep Wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber, a frangible member mounted in the bailer for sealing the lower end of the air chamber, said casing having a valve seat below the air chamber, a dart with a valve normally resting on said seat, said dart having its lower end projecting at the 'lower end of the casing and operating when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well to force the dart relatively upwardly to break the frangible member and thereby effect the charging of the bailer through the action of the well pressure, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure.

9. In a bailer for hailing deep wells under pressure, the combination of a casing having an air-tight chamber above, a frangible member mounted in the casing for sealing the lower end of the air-tight chamber, said casing having a valve seat below the frangible member, a dart having a stem and a valve loose on the stem and seated on the valve seat, said dart having its lower end projecting below the lower end of the casing and operating to break the frangible member when the bailer is dropped upon the bottom of the well,

thereby effecting the charging of the bailer throu h the action of the well pressure, said valve operating to retain the charge under pressure;`

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 31st day of October, 1932.

RICHARD A. LEAHY. 

